Method and apparatus for bending and exhausting tubular lamps



Jan. 17, 1950 J.'YODER EI'AL 2,494,923

umnon mo APPARATUS FOR BENDING AND mus'rms TUBULAR mums 4 Sheets-Sheet 3Filed Sept. 3, 1948 lnvewbors:

Jo'e Yoder', Rober' lr Au't'h,

Jan. 17, 1950 J. YODER ETAL 2,494,923

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BENDING ANDEXHAUSTING TUBULAR LAMPS Filed Sept.3, 1948 4 Sheetsheet 4 Z Their A=tborne9 atented Jan. 17, 1950 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BENDING AND EXHAUSTINGTUBULAR LAIVIPS JuelYoder, Milwaukee, Wis., and Robert Auth,

South Euclid, Ohio, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporationof New York Application September 3, 1948, Serial No. 47,608

' (oi. sic-2o) 22 Claims.

ture of the lamps to the specific degree of workability for properbending because of variations in the thickness, etc., of the lampenvelope and variations in the introduction of heat therein.Accordingly, we find it desirable to vary the time interval the lampassembly is heated and to suitably control the other bending andexhausting operations in agreement therewith so as to complete the lampin a manner normally associated with all operations necessary to bendthe lamp being carried on separately from the other operations common toboth types of lamps. This manner of operating allowed separate veryspecific controls to be exercised in both the bending and the usual lampmanufacturing operations, which was believed to be desirable to permitthe proper carrying out of the complexities of both operations. Thesegregation of all operations associated with the bending of the lampfrom all other operations was also believed desirable because inherentvariations in the tubular lamp envelope must be compensated for in thebending operations rendering them unsuitable for the usual fixedsequence of automatic lamp manufacture.

One object of our invention is to provide a method and apparatus forperforming the heating, bending and the socalled exhausting operationsnecessary to transform a straight unsealed lamp assembly into anoperable lamp having a curved form. The heating operation in the presentapparatus has the dual function of driving out occluded gases and othercontamination from the lamp assembly and of rendering the lamp envelopeworkable, thereby advancing two lamp-mamng operations at one time andelimimating the expense, inconvenience and objectional cooling periodsassociated with prior manufacture. When the lamp assembly is heatedrepeatedly, the time intervals between each heating interval allows saidlamp assembly to cool, causing air carrying additional contamination tobe sucked into the lamp assembly.

Another object of our invention is to provide a method and apparatus forheating a lamp assembly to a definite workable condition, for

bending said lamp assembly and performing all operations of theso-called exhaust schedule nec essary to convert it into an operablelamp. The commercial manufacture of bent tubular lamps is hampered bythe difflculty of providing the required amount of heat to increase thetemperaonly with the fixed-cycle lamp-making machines. This manner ofoperation permits the incorporation therein of the advantages of theefiicient and low cost automatic lamp-making apparatus and, inparticular, the advantages of the tube-bending manufacture and apparatusdisclosed in patent application Serial No. 574,724

Greiner et al., filed January 26, 1945.

Another object of our invention is to provide a method and apparatuswhereby high speed and utmost economy are obtained by intimatelyassociating the bending and exhausting operations of lamp manufacture.These objects are partially achieved by the manner of heating the lampassembly, the controls effected over the g5 bending operation and themanner of effecting the complete exhaustion of contaminating elementsfrom said lamp, the treatment of the lamp cathodes and the filling ofsaid lamp. The method and apparatus can also include the treatment of afluorescent coating carried on the inside of the lamp envelope duringthe aforementioned heating thereof.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will appear from thefollowing detailed description of a species thereof and from theaccompanying drawing.

In the drawing, Fig. l is a plan view of apparatus for bending arelatively long tubular lamp assembly into a circular shape and forperforming the various operations in the exhausting and filling thereof,the view being modified by having portions of the lamp-carrying turretand the bending apparatus broken therefrom and having notations addedthereto indicating the operations taking place at each of the workstations of said apparatus; Fig. 2 is a vertical section throughone-half of the turret, a head of the apparatus and the adjacent end ofthe lamp assembly at one of the loading stations; Figs. 3 and 4 areperspective and plan views, the former having a portion brokentherefrom, of the lamp holder of each head; Fig. 5 is a perspective viewof the heating, bending and control means of our apparatus associatedwith the head thereof at work station 9; Fig. 6 is a schematicperspective the lamp assembly I.

illustration and wiring diagram of the control pin and associated meanslocated at the bending station and the various operating andoperationinitiating elements comprising the main and auxiliary drivingmeans of the apparatus associated with the apparatus at said station,the adjacent preheat station and the underlying bed of said apparatus;Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the lower end of the lamp assemblyand a portion of the control pin at the bending station; Fig. 8 is aplan view, partially broken away, of the edge of the form and the jawsthereof which engage the lowerend of the lamp assembly; and Fig. 9 is aperspective view of the end portion of the stationary commutator ringlocated opposite station II with the ends of the lamp assembly and theends of the leading-in wires extending therefrom indicated in dot-dashlines at the position taken at said station.

The lamp manufacturing apparatus appearing in the drawing effects themanufacturing procedure of our invention while the lamp assembly I isretained in one of the heads 2 about the turret or carrier 3 and isadvanced in step-bystep fashion by indexing movements of the turret orcarrier 3. The lamp assembly I is held in a proper working positionbelow the head 2, of which there are sixteen spaced equidistantly aboutthe turret 3, and is advanced through a corresponding number of workstations comprising a path of movement by successive counterclockwiseindexing movements of the turret 3. The manner of advancing the lampassembly I and the manner of effecting the manufacturing steps along thepath of movement correspond, to a certain extent, to that associatedwith other related exhausting and filling apparatus, for instance, thatdisclosed in Marshaus Patent 2,247,513, issued July 1, i941, and isparticularly applicable to high-speed manufacture.

An operator occupies a position opposite stations I and 2 and, duringthe dwell of the heads 2 at said stations, introduces a lamp assembly Itherein by inserting the end of the exhaust tube 4 (Fig. 2) extendingfrom one end of said lamp assembly into the exhaust port 5 and the metalcap 6 on said end of the said lamp assembly into the holder 1. The lampassembly I, which is particularly characterized by a relatively longtubular glass envelope 8 with or without a fluorescent coating on theinner surface, is suspended in a vertical position entirely through theengagement of the holder I with the metal cap 6 which is fusedpermanently to the end of the envelope 8. The exhaust port 5, on theother hand, makes a gas-tight connection to the lamp assembly Ipermitting said lamp assembly I, which is closed off correspondingly atopposite ends by the electrode supporting sub-assemblies or stems 9(only one appearing in Fig. 2) to be exhausted and gas filled by meansof the exhaust tube 4. The lower end of the lamp assembly, in thepresent instance, is not provided with an exhaust tube or other openinginto the interior of the lamp assembly I; however, in other instances itmay have an exhaust tube like that shown in combination with the upperend but which has been sealed off within the electrode sub-assembly 9atthat end to completely close In the present instance, both ends of thelamp assembly I correspond in every way except for the presence orabsence of the exhaust tube 4 and have metal end caps 6 like that shownpermanently sealed to both ends.

The operations taking place at the work stations about the turret orcarrier 3 are initiated by the indexing movements thereof which advancethe head 2 carrying the lamp assembly I through the loading stations Iand 2 and into the station 3. In the movement of the head 2, the lampassembly I advances through the open end and into the interior of theoven III indicated in Fig. 2 and suitable connections are establishedthrough the exhaust port 5 of the head 2 to exhausting means (not shown)so that the lamp assembly I is heated and is exhausted. These operationsare cooperative in .that the heat introduced into the lamp assembly Iassists in driving the air and contamination therefrom, which air andcontamination are withdrawn therefrom by the exhaust. These operationsare also continued at stations 4 and 5, the next stations in the orderof movement. The succeeding index of the turret 3 continues to advancethe lamp assembly through the oven I0 and finally, when station 6 isreached, completes the breaking of the exhaust connection to the exhaustport 5 and connects a source of non-contaminating gas, in the presentinstance nitrogen, thereto so that the lamp assembly I becomes filledtherewith. During the period of dwell of the head 2 at the next workstation I, the lamp assembly I continues to be heated by the oven I0 butis otherwise untreated since the connection thereto through the exhaustport 5 is opened to the atmosphere.

Still referring generally to the operations comprising the presentinvention, the next succeeding indexing movement of the turret 3advances the head 2 to station 8 and in so doing carries the lampassembly I out of oven I 0 and into operative relation to thelongitudinally divided tubular oven II which moves to surround the lampassembly I as shown from a position outward from the path of travelthereof after the index has been completed. The oven II permits aconsiderably higher input of heat into the lamp assembly I at station 8and because of its completely circular shape permits a more even heatingof the entire periphery of said lamp assembly I.

The next succeeding work station 9 taken by the head 2 provides for thefinal heating of the lamp assembly I and the bending of said assembly tothe circular shape of a form or mold I2. These operations correspond tothose described in detail and claimed in Greiner et a1. patentapplication Serial No. 574,724, filed January 26, 1945, and assigned tothe assignee of the present invention and are, in the present instance,performed under suitable controls, as hereinafter described, which areparticular to this invention and which are a major contributing factorto the success of the invention. When the lamp assembly I first takesstation 9 (Fig. 5), it usually does not lie in a true vertical positionand is not in proper alignment with the control pin I4 (Figs. 5, 6, 7)directly below the head 2. The first operation at this work stationtherefore provides for the repositioning of the lower end of the lampassembly I by a movement of the positioning arm I3 (Fig. 5) which swingsover against a lower end portion of said lamp assembly I. The movementof the positioning arm I3 occurs immediately after the station 3 istaken by the lamp assembly I and is quickly followed by the upwardmovement of the control pin I4 into engagement with the lower end ofsaid lamp assembly I, the return outward movement of the positioning armI3 and the advance of the longitudinally divided plate Ill, which isthen located to one side of the lamp assembly I, toward and around toclose proximity to the opposite side of the lamp assembly l. Thesucceeding operation of bending the lamp assembly i to the peripheralgroove about the form I2 occurs very rapidly, after the control pin I 4has been lowered, and is brought about by upward and rotary movement ofthe form i2 which pulls the lower end of said assembly around with saidform I2 and .at the same time lays additional portions of the groovedperiphery of the form I2 against said lamp assembly I.

At the upper limit of movement of the form I2,

gas at pressure is introduced into the lamp assembly 0 through theexhaust and eliminate the flattening and the wrinkles produced thereinduring bending. In the lastmentioned interval and in a very short,directly following, rest period, the lamp assembly I cools, therebycompleting the last step in the bending operation.

The separation of the bending apparatus, which is permanently located atstation 9, from the lamp assembly I! is initiated after the jaws of thesupport means it associated with the head 2 (Fig. 5) are closed on thelamp assembly I and consists in dividing the two similarly shaped halvesmaking up the form I2 and moving them outward of the turret 3 asindicated by the arrows in Fig. l. The plate Il also swings out frombehind the lamp assembly I and is withdrawn outward from the path ofmovement thereof at such times so that no interference is presented tothe index of the reshaped lamp assembly I to the next work station.

At the next station I0, an exhaust connection is made to the lampassembly I through the exhaust port 5 to efiect the evacuation of saidassembly I while said lamp assembly I is still heated to a hightemperature. The exhaustion and cooling operations also continue at thenext succeeding station II and are supplemented by a conditioningoperation performed on the electrode sub-assemblies 9 of the lampassembly I by the passage of electricity through said subassemblies 9.This latter is brought about by the wiping of the leading-in wires 20and 2I at opposite ends of the lamp assembly I against the variouscontact sections of the stationary commutator ring 22 permanentlylocated at this station.

The movement of the lamp assembly I toward station I2 breaks the exhaustconnection thereto and, first, causes the mercury dispenser 23 (Fig. 2)on the head 2 associated with the lamp assembly I to be actuated so thata quantity of mercury passes down through the exhaust port 5 port 5 toexpand it of said mercury and gas are withdrawn during the period saidassembly I remains at said station. Electrical connections are also madeto the lamp assembly I at station I2 by the continued wiping of theleading-in wires 20 and 2;,I against a further extent of the commutatorring 22. The passage of electricity in this instance effects thetreatment of the electrodes of the assembly I and may develop a smalldischarge between various portions of each of the electrode assemblies 6at each end of the lamp assembly l. The exhaust connection to the lampassembly i is continued during the movement of the head 2 to station I3;however, different connections are made to the sections of thecommutator ring 22 contacted at this point so that substantiallyoperating conditions are established within the lamp assembly I and adischarge occurs between the electrodes at opposite ends thereof.

An exhaust connection continues to be made at stations I4 and I5, thenext succeeding stations into which the lamp assembly I is indexed,although at the latter of these stations said exhaust connection isbroken just prior to the index of the lamp assembly I therefrom. At suchtimes another connection is made to a source of gas that is to comprisethe flnal filling of the lamp assembly I for an interval, causing theproper quantity thereof to be introduced into said lamp assembly i. Atstation I6, the final sta- Y tion in the cycle of operations covered bythis invention, the exhaust tube 4 is sealed off close to the nowoperable lamp assembly I and said assembly l and the remainder of theexhaust tube 4 are removed from the head 2. The latter 0D- erationsnecessitate the release of the supporting means I8 and holder i and thenthe opening and into the exhaust tube 4 and then causes a of the exhaustport 5, and also prepare the apparatus for the succeeding cycle ofoperation.

Reference is now made to the details of the apparatus and method ofinvention, and particularly to the first operation in the cyclehereinbefore outlined, which operation is the insertion of the straightlamp assembly I into one of the heads 2. The operator first wipes theleading-in wires 26, extending from the upper end of the lamp assembly I'up along the exhaust tube 4 extending therefrom so that they do notinterfere with the proper insertion of said assembly I, and then movessaid lamp assembly i so as to thread the end of the exhaust tube 4upward through the central opening in the holder l, the opening in theshield 25, and the outlet of the exhaust port 5. At the limit of motion,the top (Figs. 2, 3 and 4) of the metal cap 6 on the end of the lampassembly i comes to rest against the bottom of the holder I and thecrown or embossment 26 of said metal cap 6 is located within the openingthereof where it is clamped securely in place. The latter operation iseflected by manually moving the pin 21 extending from the ring 28located within the central opening in the holder 1 whereby said ring 28is rotated clockwise so that the segmental projection 29 on the lowersurface thereof is moved around nearly diametrically opposite a similarprojection. 30 on the holder i so that the crown 26 of the metal cap 6is gripped-therebetween. The ring 26, which rests on an inwardlyprojecting shoulder within the opening in the holder 1, grips the metalcap 6 with such force that suflicient friction is produced between itand the cap 6 and the holder 1 to keep it in place and to allow the fullweight of the lamp assembly I to be carried thereby. A lug 3i extendsfrom the top of the crown 26 of strain being placed onthecaptintoanotchinaflngerufastenedto' the top surface of the holder 1and provides a convenient guide to the rotational orientation of thelamp assembly I so that the exhaust tube 4, which is off-center withrespect thereto, enters the exhaust port 5 at the same time the cap 6 isaligned with the opening in the holder I. The engagement of the lug 3|with the finger 32 also prevents the lamp assembly I from turning andthe exhaust tube 4.

After insertion of the lamp assembly I has been completed, the exhaustport 5 is caused to complete the gas-tight connection to the exhausttube 4 by the manual act of rotating the cap 33, by means of the arm 34extending therefrom. The cap 33 is screwed further onto the body 35 ofthe exhaust port 5 and compresses the rubber washer 35 so that itexpands laterally and completely fills the space between said exhausttube 4 and said body 35.

Other portions of the head 2 of the apparatus supporting the lampassembly I include the cooling chamber 31 which surrounds and is incontact with a considerable extent of the body 35 of the exhaust port 5,and the main support bracket 38 to which the cooling chamber 31 isattached and which extends laterally to a mounting at the periphery ofthe turret 3. The main support bracket 38 of the head 2 also assists inthe support of the pinch clamp 39 which controls the connecting passagebetween the exhaust port 5 and the terminal block 40, which passage isdefined by the deformable rubber tube 4|. In the normal use of theapparatus the pinch clamp 39 remains in an open position and connectsthe exhaust port 5 and the lamp assembly I to the main manifolding ofsaid apparatus at all times. The function of the pinch clamp 39 is toprovide a means of closing ofi and isolating the exhaust port 5 whensaid exhaust port 5 is not provided with a lamp assembly I or the lampassembly I is in some way defective so as to allow the atmosphere toleak into said exhaust port 5. Closing oif the pinch clamp 39 isaccomplished either manually or mechanically by a horizontal actuationof the lever 42 which is pivoted on the support bracket 38 at a positionpermitting an extending portion of said lever 42 to distort one wall ofthe rubber tube 4| sufficiently to close the passage therethrough. Boththe exhaust port 5 and the pinch clamp 33 correspond to means well knownin lamp-exhausting apparatus, for instance the apparatus in MarshausPatent 2,247,513 hereinbefore referred to, and, as in said apparatus,are permanently connected to the mercury dispenser 23 directlythereabove by the terminal block 40, and to the exhaust line of the head2 consisting of the pip 43, the glass trap 44, and the pipe 45. The head2 also supports the shield 25 located between the exhaust port 5 and thelamp assembly I by means of the angular brackets 46 and 41 extendingfrom the main support bracket 38, and the holder I for the lamp assemblyI by means of the post 48 which extends from the shield 25.

Control over the connections made to the exhaust line of the head 2 isdetermined by the position of the movable section 5| of the rotary valve52 and in particular the passage 53 therein, which communicates with thepipe 45, with respect to other passages such as that indicated at 54 inthe lower stationary section 55 of the rotary valve 52. The uppermovable section 5| of the rotary valve- 52 is keyed to the turret 3 bymeans and is presently turned so that the passages 33 connected to theheads 2 at the loading stations I and 2 are over a solid portion of thestationary section 55 and are blocked oil. The lower section 55 ofthe'rotary valve 52 has a fixed position on the upper end of thestationary center support column 51 of the apparatus, which column 51also functions as the support means for the door ill of the oven III,which duplicates that shown in the Marshaus patent hereinbefore referredto, is slid back by movement of arm 8| to permit the lamp assembly I topass into said oven I0 whereupon it is again slid back over the open endthereof to prevent the escape of heat therefrom. Reference may be had tothe Marshaus patent for further details of the door opening means andthe manner in which it is caused to operate at a particular moment inthe rotation of the main driving shaft and, accordingly, in the cycle ofoperation. In the present instance, the loss of heat from the oven IIIis also further retarded by the shield 25 which is mounted between theexhaust port 5'and the arcuate opening I0 (Fig. 2) in the top of saidoven III accommodating the post 48 of the holder I and the exhaust tube4 of the lamp assembly I. Damage and consequent early deterioration ofthe exhaust port 5 and the other parts ofthe head 2 from the heatabsorbed thereby are also prevented by the supplemental cooling of theseparts by the flow of water through the chamber 31, the water beingintroduced therein from pipe 82 at one side of the head 2 anddischarging through pipe 63 at the opposite side thereof. The coolingwater is distributed to each of the heads 2 of the apparatus by means ofa trough 54 mounted on the top of the turret 3 which is constantly beingfilled by the flow from a stationary pipe 65 located thereabove anddrains from the pipes 63 of the heads 2 to the stationary trough 36mounted under the center portion of said turret 3.

The index of the head 2 to station 3 also effects the connection of saidhead 2 and the lamp assembly I to a source (not shown) of vacuum bycausing the movable section H of the rotary valve 52 to be turned sothat the passage 53 therein is aligned with the passage 54 in the lowerstationary section 55 thereof. The vacuum connection to the lampassembly I exhausts the air and contamination therefrom and. incombination with the heating operation which increases the temperatureof the envelope 8 of the lamp assembly I and which causes the liberationof still other contamination therein, is continued for the entire periodthe lamp assembly I is located atstation 3. The heating and exhaustingoperations occurring at station 3, and further along the path ofmovement of the head 2 in certain instances, can also contribute to thetreatment and exhaust of products contained in a fluorescent coating onthe inner surface of the envelope 8 of the lamp assembly I.

The succeeding index of the turret 3 advances of the stud 5550 that itis turned correspondingly 5 the head 2 and the lamp assembly Ito'station 4 where said lamp assembly I continues to be heated byafurther extent of the oven I and exhausted'by a source of vacuum (notshown) connected thereto through the rotary valve 52 in the manner ofthe corresponding connection made thereto at station 3.

At station 5, the next in the order of those taken by the head 2, theheating and exhausting operations are still further advanced in the samemanner; however, it is preferred that each succeeding portion of theoven I0 into which the lamp assembly I is moved be at a slightly highertemperature so that the quantity of heat introduced therein be as greatas practicable at each station.

At station 6 a further extent of the oven III heats the lamp assemblystill further and another connection is made through the rotary valve 52thereto which introduces therein an inert gas, in the presentinstancenitrogen. The function of the inert gas is to prevent theabsorption of foreign materials and the consequent contamination of theinterior parts of the lamp assembly I during the directly succeedingheating and bending operations of the apparatus and to cause theatmospheric pressure on the outside of said lamp assembly I to bebalanced with a corresponding pressure within said lamp assembly I whenit is heated to a softened condition. To effect this result, it ispreferred that the inert gas be forced into the exhausted interior ofthe lamp assembly I at slightly higher than atmospheric pressure whileit is located at station 6, as the excess gas will then cause an outwardrather than an in-- ward circulation thereof during the directlysucceeding intervals of operation of the apparatus.

At station I, the next in the cycle of operation, the lamp assembly I isstill exposed to the heating effect of the oven I0 and a change occursin the connections made thereto so that the gas contained therein isreduced in pressure to atmospheric. This latter condition is broughtabout by the rotation of the movable section I of the rotary valve 52 toa position whereby passage 53 is located over another passage (notshown) in the stationary section 55 thereof, which passage is vented tothe atmosphere. The indexing movement of the head 2 from station I ispreceded by the sideward movement of the door 61 at the rear of the ovenI0, an operation brought about in the same manner as that effecting themovement of the door 60 at the front end thereof.

The advance of the head 2 and the lamp assembly I to station 8' takesplace at a moment when the oven II, shown occupying said station, is ina retracted position radially outward of the path of travel of said lampassembly I and is immediately followed by a movement of said oven II,causing it to advance to station 8. In the advance of the oven II, thealmost duplicate halves 68 and. 68 of which it is comprised, firstseparate so as to pass to either side of the lamp assembly I and thenclose thereabout. The oven II corresponds to the oven I5 at station 9,which is shown in further detail in Fig. 5, and is comprised of twoseparable halves 68 and 68' forming a cylindrical whole and havingelectrical resistance elements (not shown) over their entire interiorsurfaces. The cylindrical shape and the independent mounting of the ovenII permits it to provide a more uniformly distributed heat to the entireouter surface of the envelope 8 of the lamp assembly I and allows ahigher temperature at station 8 than possible with the continuous ovenIII at the preceding stations, thereby 10 I providing more eflicient,more satisfactory, and more rapid operation. The movements of the oven II to and from operative relation to station 8, causing it to avoid theindexing movements of the lamp assembly I, are the result ofcorresponding movements of the mounting means for said oven II whichmeans is comprised of the vertically disposed shafts 69 and 69 (Fig. 1)attached to said oven I I by the brackets I0 and I0 and the movablecarriage 1|. The shafts 69 and 69 are mounted at a fixed position on thecarriage I I, which is provided with supporting rollers II at the fourcorners thereof, and is adapted to roll back and forth over a portiton'of the bed I2 of the apparatus. The halves 6B and 68 of the oven I I areat all times under the rotative influence of the vertical shafts 69 and69', respectively, which in turn are held at a position determined bythe position of rollers not shown) on the ends of the cam follower arms13 and I3, respectively, extending from said shafts 69 and 69, in thecam tracks 14 and I4, respectively, of the stationary cam I5.Accordingly, the advance and retracting movements of the oven II andcorresponding movement of the carriage II, which is brought about by therotation of a fixed position spur gear I6 in engagement with the gearrack 11 attached to said carriage II, also effects a displacement of therollers on the cam follower arms I3 and I3 along the length of the camtracks I4 and I4, respectively. The cam tracks I4 and I4 are more widelyseparated at the opposite ends of the course of travel and cause theoven halves 68 and 68' to be brought together both at station 8 and atthe retracted position. This manner of operation is desirable to keepthe loss of heat from the oven II, which in the present instance isretained at a sufiiciently high temperature to heat the lamp envelope 8to 500 C. to a minimum, and is such that the oven II is open, retractedand then closed at the retracted position immediately prior to the indexof the head 2 and the lamp assembly from station 8. Further explanationof the means and timing of the operation of the spur gear I6 controllingall operations of the oven II follows in conjunction with theexplanation of the heating and bending apparatus located at station 9,which apparatus is directly associated with the controlling elements ofthe entire machine.

The indexing movement of the head 2 which advances the lamp assembly Ifrom station 8 to station 9 positions said lamp assembly I in operativerelation to the oven I5 and various groupings of apparatus, which bytheir cooperative function cause the said lamp assembly I to be bentinto an almost complete circle. The lamp assembly I has a temperaturestill slightly less than required to permit it to be reshaped at thetime it takes station 9, and the oven I5, which is movable to and from aposition around the lamp assembly I, is required to heat the lampassembly I to a temperature where the lamp envelope 8 is properlyworkable and yet not subject to unnecessary collapse and distortion.This condition in the lamp assembly I is not readily determinable as theheating operation of the apparatus as a whole is subject to slightvariations, to a certain extent in the present instance the re- 70 sultof a variable index rate, and the usual commerciallamp assembly I isalso subject to slight structural variations which vary the heatrequired to condition it to Within the relatively narrow limits ofworkability required. The present apparatus is particularly satisfactorysince it compensates for both these variable conditions by suitablycontrolling the length of the heating period occurring at this stationin accordance with the elongation resulting in the lamp-assembly I whenit becomes heated to a workable condition. The elongation in the lampassembly I is detected by the sensitive feeling action and correspondingmovement of a control pin I4 (Figs. 5 and 6) brought up into engagementwith the lower unsupported end thereof and eflects a control whichextends both to the bending apparatus and various portions of theapparatus as a whole. The control is particularly desirable as itpermits the lamp assembly I to be quickly bent to shape immediatelyafter it becomes heated to the proper condition and is instrumental inplacing in operation the various means of the bending apparatus whichare required to complete the shaping of the lamp assembly I and whichare actuated in a fixed order after said bending operation is initiated.

The heating operation and the controls associated with the pin I4 arenot in effect at the time the lamp assembly I is indexed into thestation 8, as at that time the rotation of the main drive shaft I8,diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 6, has still to cause anymisalignment of the lower end of the lamp assembly I to be corrected, toeffect the upward movement of the pin I4 into engagement with said endof the lamp assembly I and cause the oven I8 to take an operativerelation to the lamp assembly I. The index has resulted as the rotationof the main drive shaft I8 has caused the offset portion 18 of the cam88 to advance to a position between two of the rollers 8i and has byfurther rotation displaced the spider 82 (only partially shown)counter-clockwise a distance equal to the center-tocenter distance ofthe rollers 8I. The regularly shaped portion 83 of the cam 88 ispresently passing between two of the rollers 8| and the spider 82 whichis attached directly to the lower portion of the vertical drive shaft 88(Fig. 2) of the turret 8 is retained in one position. The cam '88, thespider 82 and the other associated apparatus conform to conventionalindexing apparatus in which each head 2 is represented by a roller 8I onthe spider 82 and is advanced by the advance of said roller 8I by thecam 88.

The continuing rotation of the main drive shaft 18, which is driven bythe electric motor 84 through the reduction gears 88 and 88, after theindex occurs causes the positioning arm I8 (Fig. 5) to be moved downinto engagement with the lower end portion of the lamp assembly I sothat any misalignment thereof is corrected. The positioning arm I8 ispivoted on a pin 8'! extending between portions of the fixed bracket 88on the bed I2 and, directly follgwing the index, is swung down from avertical position to the position in which it appears in Fig. 5 bymovement of the push rod 88 which, as shown in Fig. 6, is connected tothe cam follower lever 88. A roller 8I on the follower lever 88, whichis pivoted on the stationary rod 82 extending from a portion (not shown)of the bed I2, lies within the channel of cam 88 and efiects themovement of the follower lever 88 and the positioning movement of thearm I8 when the rotation of the main drive shaft I8 and said cam 88advance it into a diil'erently shaped portion of the channel. In thecourse of the downward swing of the arm I8, the bifurcated end 84thereof engages and gathers in the lower end portion of the lampassembly I so that the said end portion is adjusted laterally.

The complete positioning operation, however, is I not complete until themovable finger 88, which is pivoted on one fork of the bifurcated end 84of the positioning arm I8, is moved from alignment with said side to theposition across the forks as shown, thereby gathering in said lampassembly I into the base of the forked end 84 and aligning it with thecontrol pin I4. This latter operation is brought about by the finger 88when the rota-- 88 and creates a vertical motion of said rod 88 whichcarries the roller 88 (Fig. 5) on arm I88 against one end of the leverIII of the operating means for said finger 88. Other portions of theoperating means comprises the link I82 joining lever III and the armI88, and the rod I84 joining arm I88 and the finger 88, and are suchthat the motion of lever III is transferred to the finger 88. Resistingthis motion is the spring I85 which extends between the arm I88 and apost'attached to the arm I8, and which by its contraction provides forthe return of the finger 88 and asso-,

ciated operating means after the arm I88 and roller 88 are lowered inthe course of the operation of the positioning arm I8. A'guide stud I88extending from bracket 88 and sliding within an opening in the arm I88keeps it and rod 88 from turning out of position. Immediately after thepositioning arm I8 has properly engaged the lower end portion of thelamp assembly I, the rotation of the main cam shaft I8 causes'thecontrol pin I4 to move up into engagement with the end of the lampassembly I and causes the finger 88 to swing out away therefrom, andsaid arm I8 to again swing back to a vertical position so as to completethe cycle of operation of said positionin arm I8.

The engagement of the control pin I4 with the lower end of the lampassembly I is elfected by momentarily disturbing the balance of thesupporting means therefor, which means is comprised of the verticallymovable support rod I81 and mociated apparatus mounted on ,one side ofthe balance beam I88 (Fig. 6) and the counterweight I88 on the oppositeside thereof. The rod I81, which is slidable vertically within thebracket II8 attached to the bed I2 of the apparatus, is moved in accordwith the motion transferred thereto from the balance beam I 88 throughthe yoke III, the links II8 and the block II8, the latter being clampeddirectly to rod I81, and travels upward sufiiciently to carry the headof the control pin I4 which is clamped to the upper end thereof by blockII4, into engagement with the metal cap 8 on the lower end of the lampassembly I as shown in detail in Fig. 7. The insulated leading-ln wires2I at this end of the lamp assembly I fall into respective slots II8 atopposite sides of the center of the head of the control pin I4 as theyhave been arranged in that relation to said lamp assembly I- by theoperator at the time it was inserted therein. The motion of rod I81 andchange in balance of the beam I88, which pivots about the pin II8 on thedepending bracket II'I secured to the under side of the bed I2, isbrought about when the rotation of the main cam shaft I8 causes theroller II8 on the cam follower lever II8 to pass into a hollow in theedge of cam I28, and the resulting motion of the follower lever I I8about the stationary pivot pin -I2I carries the offset end of the rodI22 down against the beam I88. Further rotation of the drive shaft 18immediately advances the roller II8 beyond the depression in the cam I28and returns the rod I22 to the raised 13 position shown wherein therelatively slight friction of the shoe I 23 is depended upon to keep therod I98 and, consequently, the control pin I4 in place. The frictionshoe I23, and the spring I24 and the adjusting screw I 25 which back itup are contained in a protruding portion of the bracket lIii above thebed 12 and can be easily adjusted to vary the force required to causethe control pin I4 to move down.

The operations in the course of those taking place at station 9 are theupward movement of the positionin arm I3 already described, which clearssaid positioning arm I3 from the path of travel of the oven I5, and themovement of the oven l5 which carries it into operative relation to thelamp assembly I. Both of these operations are initiated by the rotationof the main drive shaft 18 and therefore have the proper time relationwhich causes the oven I5 to be advanced to a position about the lampassembly I without delay and soon after said lamp assembly I takesstation 9.

The oven I5 is located radially inward of the station 9 as the motion isinitiated, but otherwise corresponds to the oven II located at station8, and accordingly is comprised of two similar movable halves I26 andI26 which are mounted on the movable carriage I21. The brackets I23 andI29 near the top and at the bottom, respectively, of the oven I5 attacheach half I26 or I26 to a vertically disposed shaft lit or H39 carriedby the carriage I21 and provide for the separation of said halves I26and I26 during the advance thereof and for a following closing movementwhich causes the said halves I25 and I26 to come together around thelamp assembly I. At the retracted position, the carriage I21 is solocated that the rollers I3 I-I3 I on the arms I32I32, which areattached to the lower ends of shafts I3II-I3ll', respectively, arelocated within the more widely separated portions of the cam tracksI33--I33, respectively, in the stationary cam I34 and both halvesIZt-IZIS of the oven I5 are held against each other as shown. Theadvance of the carriage H1, which is supported by rollers I35 at thefour corners thereof, moves the rollers I3II3I' to the more closelyspaced portions of the cam tracks l33-I33, respectively, in the cam I34so that the halves I26--I26' are separated, and finally moves saidrollers I3II3I' to another more widely spaced portion of the cam tracksI33-I33 so that said halves I26-I2Ii' are brought together. The advanceof the oven I5 is effected through the rotation of a spur gear H6 inengagement with the rack I31 located along one side of the carriage I21in the manner of the spur gear 16 and the rack 11 associated with theoven II at station 8, and in the present instance is brought about incombination with the movement of oven II by the operation of theelectric motors I38 and I39, shown diagrammatically In Fig. 6, which arethe driving means for the spur gears I36 and 18, respectively. Theelectric motors I38 and I39 are similarly connected through lead I 40and leads I and I42, respectively, to one side of the line source I43 ofelectrical current of the apparatus and advance the ovens I5 and II atthe same moment as both are connected throu h leads I44 and I45,respectively, to a common switch i 46 controlling the completion of acircuit through wire I41 to the opposite side of the line source I43 ofelectrical current. At such times the cam I48 so that the raised portionof the edge thereof is carried into position below the roller on theactuating lever I49 of the switch I46, which is a totally enclosedcommercial product having an integral actuating lever I49, and the saidswitch I46 is operated, completing the circuit between lead I45 and thelead I41. The movements of the ovens I5 and II continue until terminatedby the passage of the roller on the actuating lever I49 of the switch I46 from the raised portion of the edge of cam I48 upon further rotationof the drive shaft 18 and advance said ovens I5 and II to a positionabout respective lamp assemblies I. Both ovens I5 and II have a lengthgreater than that of the lamp assembly I and an opening at the upper endwhich accommodates the exhaust tube 4 and the support post 48. Oven I5also has an opening in the lower end which surrounds control pin I4 andwhich is sufiiciently large to permit said control pin I4 to movevertically during the heating interval.

The directly succeeding operations of the apparatus, which are initiatedby the retraction of the oven I5 and consequent termination of theheating functions of the apparatus, occur only after the lamp assembly Iis brought to a suitably workable condition to permit it to be properlyreshaped. This workable condition is produced by a temperature in thelamp assembly I somewhat below that of the oven I5 and is indicated by asoftening and consequent lengthening of the envelope 8 thereof. Theweight of the lower portion of the lamp assembly ,I, at such times, issufficient to cause a downward movement of the control pin I4, amovement produced against the slight friction of the shoe I23 and a veryslight upward component produced by the counterweight I99. The pressureexerted by the control pin I4 does not disturb the elongation of thelamp assembly I which urges said control pin I4 downward until thecollar I5I on the lower end portion of the support rod I01 located belowthe bed 12 of the apparatus comes to rest on the top end of the latchI52. At that time the balance beam )8 has also moved to a position whereit bears against the roller on the actuating arm I53 of the switch I54and repositions said arm I53 sufficiently to close said switch I54.Since the lengthening of the lamp assembly I can only occur when it hasbeen heated to a definite condition, the downward movement of thecontrol pin I4, as indicated by the making of the circuit through theswitch I54, establishes a definite basis for the succeeding operationswhich are directly dependent on the workability thereof. In the presentinstance, the circuit controlled by the switch I54 is caused to bringabout a sequence of operations which are independent of those broughtabout by the rotation of the main drive shaft 18 and which effect acontrol compensating for variations in the heat requirements ofsucceeding lamp assemblies 1 and other variations in the heat-producingfunctions of the apparatus. Both these variable conditions are ofparticular importance where the high rate of speed and automatic natureof the present apparatus are considered.

The control executed by the downward movement of the pin I4 and thecompletion of the circuit through the switch I54 is directed to theoperation of the electric motor I55 which rotates the auxiliary camshaft I56 and which the rotation of the main drive shaft 18 turns 7brings about an immediately succeeding fixed seanus-as quence ofoperations by the corresponding rotation of the cams located atpositions along said shaft I56. The switch I54 is connected through wireI41 to one side of the line source I43 of electrical energy and, inclosing, completes, through wire I51, the connection of said source I43to the electric motor I55 which is also permanently connected throughwires I58 and I42 to the opposite side thereof. Appropriate gears I59and I60, coupling the electric motor I55 and the auxiliary cam shaftI56, establish the rate of rotation of said auxiliary shaft I56 so as totime the operations initiated thereby at fixed intervals.

After the electric motor I55 and the auxiliary cam shaft I55 arebroug-htinto operation, the immediate function of the apparatus is to cause theoven I to open and retract from the lamp assembly I at station 9 so thatthe heating function thereof is terminated. Both movements of the ovenI5 are under the control of the electric motor I38 as hereinbeforedescribed and, in the present instance, are brought about by rotation ofsaid electric motor I38 in a direction opposite that previouslyoccurring upon the making an electrical circuit thereto through theswitch I64 associated with the cam I65 on the auxiliary cam shaft I56.The switch I64 is permanently connected throughwires I66 and I41 to oneside of the line source I43 of electrical energy and is caused to take aclosed position at this time by the advance of a hump on the edge of thecam I65 into a position below the actuating arm thereof, at whichposition the circuit through said switch I64 and the wires I61 and I68is complete to the particular section of the electric motor I38producing the desired direction of rotation. In the present instance,electric motor I38, and several others yet to be described, are a typeknown as permanent-split capacitor motors and are capable of operationin either direction, depending on the making of appropriate connectionsto either of two sections thereof.

Also synchronized with the retraction of the oven I5 is the advance ofthe form I2 and the other bendingapparatus associated therewith tooperative relation to the lamp assembly I. These functions of theapparatus are also controlled by the circuit completed by the switch I64and are brought about by the connection made from said switch I64through wire I61 to the electric motor I69, which connection causes saidmotor I69 to advance the supporting carriage I for the form I2 and itsassociated apparatus in a corresponding manner to that causing the motorI38 and the carriage I21 to retract the oven I5. A permanent connectionbetween the motor I69 and the line source I43 of electricity is presentin the wires HI and I 42 at all times.

The heating function of the oven I5, the control afforded by the pin I4and the reshaping operations of the form I2 and associated apparatuscorrespond to a great extent to the operations of the single-stationnon-automatic apparatus disclosed and claimed in the co-pending patentapplication Serial No. 574,724 of Greiner et al., flied January 26,1945, and assigned to the assignce of the present invention. The form I2and its associated apparatus (which are here shown somewhatdiagrammatically) are duplications of corresponding portions of theaforesaid apparatus; however, the manner and means of controlling themare, in certain instances, particular to the presently describedapparatus. The

form or mold I2 which comprises two compiementary circular halves I12and I12 (Fig. 5) is indirectly mounted on a vertically movable U-shapedfloating carriage I13 located on the three duplicate columns I14upstanding from the forward corners and the rear portion of thehorizontally movable main support carriage I10 and is advanced towardthe lamp assembly I through the rotation of the spur gear I15 on theshaft of the motor I69, which gear I15 engages the rack I 16 on the sideof said support carriage I10. Rollers I11 at the four corners of thecarriage I10 permit it to roll along the surface of the bed 12 of theapparatus and can be supplemented by rails (not shown) therealong toguide said carriage I10 in a. definite path. Both halves I12 and I12 ofthe form I2 are similarly mounted on opposite legs of the floatingcariage I13, the half I 12, for instance. being fastened to one end of ahorizontally disposed shaft I18 journalled in one legthereof, and areorientated by the gears I19 and I19, respectively. The form I2 is heldso that the complementary semi-circular jaws I and I80 (Fig. 8), at oneposition at the periphery thereof, take positions directly opposite bothsides of the metal end cap 6 on the lower end of the lamp assembly I atthe limit of the advance of said form I2 and the support carriage I10.The advance of the support carriage I10 also moves the heater or backingplate I1 of the apparatus associated with the form I2 and in so doingadvances it first to a position beyond that of the lamp assembly I wherethe roller I8I on the lever I82, which is pivoted on said carriage I10,bears against a fixed stop (not shown) at said work station. Thecontinuing further motion of the support carriage I10 causes pressure onroller I8I which forces the heater I1 to swing into close proximity tothe side of the lamp assembly I opposite that adjacent the form I2. Thislast operation, which results as the gear segment at one end of thelever I82 turns the gear I83 on the supporting shaft I84 for said heaterI1, swings said heater I1 where it can compensate for heat lost by thatside of the lamp assembly I which will be stretched in the reshapingoperation. The heat is generated in electrical resistance wires (notshown) within the refractory blocks making up the heater I1 which issupported at intervals on its length by arms I85 engaging the shaft I84.The heater I1 also functions as a means to prevent the straight portionof the lamp assembly I from bowing out of alignment as the bendingoperation progresses.

The next occurring operation is the closing axial movement of the halvesI12 and I12 of the form I2 which causes said halves I12 and I12 to moveinto contact with each other and which causes the semi-circular jaws I80and I80 thereon to pass into the groove about the crown 26 of the metalend cap 6 on the lamp assembly I as indicated in Fig. 7. Both halves I12and I12 of the form I2 are held in place by the engagement of the leversI86 and I 86', respectively, along opposite sides thereof with thecircumferentially grooved hubs I81 andi81 extending therefrom and areinfluenced through the toggle leverage formed by the links I88 joiningthe opposit ends of said levers I88 and I86 and the slide I89. In theirseparated position the halves I12 and I12 of the form I2 are so held bythe levers I86 and I86, respectively, which pivot at intermediate pointson pins I90 (only one being shown) extending from the floating carriageI13,

anemone and the slide itt, which is located within ways in a rearwarddepending portion of said carriage lit, that they are spaced apart agreater distance than the width of the lamp assembly i and are at aposition determined by the seating oi the head of the pin Ilti within arecess in said slide ltd. The closing movement of the halves H2 and. Hitof the form it results from the triggering action of an upward movementof the pin it", a movement which raises the head thereof from the recessin the slide itt and which occurs against the compression resistance ofthe helical spring Wt butting against the collar M3 on the lower endthereof and the bottom of the ways for the slide "80. The pin ii istriggered by the upward movement of the armature H94 of the solenoid i05located permanently on the support carriage H0 below the lower end ofsaid pin MM and releases the slide I|89 so that the contraction force ofthe spring I06 moves said slide I89 and, through the toggle leverage,said halves I12 and iii of said form i2. The spring i98 extends betweena post upstanding from the floating carriage iii and an arm of a leverI91 pivoted on the pin W8 and engaging a pin in the end of the slide I80and in contracting advances said slide M0 to -a position where thepressure of engagement of the halves I12 and I12 of the form I2 causesthe levers I88 and I86 to be directed almost directly against each otherand therefore to be locked in place. The triggering of the form closingapparatus brought about by the solenoid I05 is the result of themomentary completion of a circuit thereto by the switch 200 (Fig. 6)under the control exerted by the cam I on the auxiliary cam shaft ibtand is therefore synchronized with the advance of the form I2. Theswitch 200, which is connected to the solenoid I95 by wire 202,completes a circuit through wires I88 and I4! to one side of the linesource I43 of electrical energy, the opposite side of which ispermanently connected through wires 203 and I40 to said solenoid I95.

The succeeding operations in the reshaping of the lamp assembly I occurvery rapidly and, in efi'ect, first cause the control pin I4 to movedown away from its supporting position below the lower end thereof sothat. said end, which is now gripped and supported by the Jaws I80 andI80 of the form I2, is free to move laterally in accord with saidreshaping operations. At the time these operations begin, the controlpin I4 is supported through the engagement of the collar I5I with thelatch I52, which is pivoted between laterally protruding portions of alower section of the slider 204, extending between the rods 205 and isat a vertical position governed by the butting of said lower sectionagainst corresponding fixed collars 208 attached to the rods 205. Therespective portions of the slider 204 engaging the rods 205 are ofcorresponding form and are limited to a vertical direction of movementthereby, as said rods 205 are duplicate flxed members extending from thebase of bracket IIO. A spring 201 extending between posts in theextending portion of the slider 204-and the latch I52 keeps said latchI52, which pivots on the pin 208, biased to a position below the collarI5I, at which position the base of the notch in the edge thereof bearsagainst the roller 20IHoining the collars 208.

As operation of the apparatus begins, a downward motion of the controlpin I4 is brought about by a downward movement of the slider 204 whichcauses said latch I52 to move down and swing out from under the collariti and which also causes the downward motion of the fixed tooth 2 it onan upper section of the slider 2% to engage and forcibly pull saidcollar iti and control pin It downward. The upper section of the slider20d engages the rods 205 in a manner corresponding to the lower sectionand is connected by an intermediate web till to the lower sectionthereof. This motion of the slider 200 is effected by the energizationof the operating solenoid 2 I2 for this particular portion of theapparatus, which solenoid m is mounted at a fixed position on the lowersurface of the bed 12 thereof. The solenoid 2I2 is connected through thelink 2H3 to one end of a lever 2 i t pivoted on a bracket 2 it (onlypartially shown) depending from the lower surface of the bed l2 andintroduces motion in said lever 2H1 which, in turn, is transferredthrough link 2I8 to the slider 204. The solenoid 2H2 is also connectedelectrically by wires 203 and IE0 to one side of the supply line I43and, at the moment of operation, is also connected by wire tn, theswitch 2 I8 and wires I66 and I4! to the other side of said supply lineI43. The completion of the circuit through the switch 2I8 occurs withthe rotation of the protruding portion of the edge of the cam 2I9 intoengagement with the roller on the actuating lever of said switch 2I8 andcauses the armature 220 of the solenoid 2I2 to be lifted, therebyefiecting a movement of lever 2M and a downward movement of the slider204 against the upward biasing force of the springs 22I-22I surroundingthe lower ends of the rod 205 and bearing against the collars 222222thereon. The movement of the slider 204 in lowering the latch I52 causesa further extent of the edge thereof to bear against the roller 209 sothat said latch I52 is forced back away from its position below thecollar I5 I The engagement of the fixed tooth 2I0 on the slider 204 withthe collar I5I moves said collar I5I and the pin i4 rapidly downward tothe limit of motion where the top of said pin I4 is completely separatedfrom the metal end disc 8 and other portions of the lamp assembly I. Inthis latter downward movement of the rod IN the balance beam I08 tipsstill further and moves the actuating arm I53 of the switch I54;however, the switch I54 does not change from its closed condition.

During the subsequent operations of the apparatus when the switch 2I8 isagain caused to take an open position and the circuit to the solenoid 2I2 is broken, the expansion force of the springs 22I-22I raises theslider 204 and its associated means in preparation for the succeedingcycle of operation. The latch I52 passes the collar I5I withoutdisturbing it in the upward motion as it is kept in a retracted positionwhile passing said collar I5I by the roller 209 and does not swing outagain until its upper limit of motion is complete and the notched edgeof said latch I52 is opposite the roller 209. In the succeeding cycle ofoperation when the control pin I4 is moved upward into engagement withanother lamp assembly I, the collar I5I, in its corresponding movement,moves against the projecting edge of the latch I52 and forces said latchI52 back until it is above the end thereof. The collar I5I also has thefunction of keeping the control pin I4, which is offset from the rodI01, from turning from its proper position and effects this functionthrough its engagement with the rod 223 depending from the bracket I I0.

The other reshaping operations of the apparatus initiated at the sametime as the downmesons ward motion of the control pin I4, include theupward and rotative motions of the reshaping form I2 which result fromthe completion of still another circuit by the switch 2I8 controllingthe electric motor 224 located on the support carriage I10. Because ofthe relatively short interval of time required to lower the control pinI4 sufllciently to provide the relatively slight clearance requiredbetween it and the metal end cap 3 on the lamp assembly I at the startof the reshaping operation, no interference can occur therebetween inthe immediately occurring operation of rolling of said lamp assembly Ionto the form I2. Both the movement of the control pin I4 and the upwardand rotating motions of the form I2, which cause'the lamp assembly I tobe rolled into the peripheral semi-circular groove therein, occur veryrapidly giving little chance for the lam assembly I to cool.

The switch 2I3 in the present instance completes a circuit from one sideof the supply line I43 of electrical energy through the wires I33, I41and 2", 225 to the electric motor 224, which is also permanentlyconnected through wires 223 and I42 to the other side of said source I43and thereby effects a direction of rotation in the motor 224 necessaryto roll the form I2 upward along the lamp assembly I. Until this rollingmotion occurs, the form I2 is positioned vertically by the engagement ofthe floating carriage I13 with the collars 221 (only one appearing inFig.5) on the three columns I14, and is orientated rotatably bycorresponding trains of gears, like that shown in gears 228 and 229which engage the gear I13 or I13 on the supporting shafts for therespective halves I12 and I12 of said form I2. The gear 223 associatedwith the half I12 of the form I2 is mounted on an intermediate shaft 230under the control of the gear 23I which, in turn, meshes with thestationary rack 232 upstanding from one side of the support carriage I10and corresponds to similar means associated with the half I12 of theform I2 and engaging the stationary rack 232' at that side of thesupport carriage. I13. The shaft 230 and the pivot pin for the gear 223are mounted on the floating carriage I13 and are adapted for verticalmovement therewith during which the gear 23I is turned by its engagementwith the rack 232 and turns the half I12 of the form I2 at a veryslightly greater speed than would occur if it were rolled along asurface. The vertical motion of the floating carriage I13 is effected bymeans engaging chains 233-233 attached correspondingly to respectiveportions of said carriage I13 adjacent the halves I12 and I12 of theform I2, which chains are looped up and over sprockets 234234 on theidler shafts 235, 233 on a platform 231 and down under the drivensprockets 230 on the shaft 239 and the idler sprockets 240 (only onebeing indicated) on the shaft 24I on the support carriage I10. Theopposite ends of the chains 233 and 233' are attached to eyelets on thetop and bottom surfaces of the floating carriage I13 so that an endlesscoupling is formed which is suitable for controlling both the up anddown movements of said floating carriage I13. Outboard bearings fix theposition of the shafts 235 and 235 on the platform 231, which is mountedat a fixed vertical position on the upper ends of the columns I14 andthe racks 232-232, and the position of the shafts 233 and 2 on thesupport carriage I10. Counterweights 242-242' midway along the lengthsof the chains 233-233, respectively, also balance out the weight of theform I2 and the associated assembly mounted on the floating carriage I13and allow the energy exerted by the electric motor 224, which drives theshaft 230 through the worm gears 243 and 244, to be expanded in moving,rather than in lifting, said assembly, thereby permitting the movementof the form I2 to be more rapid and controllable.

The upward rolling movement of the form I2 is carried on to a pointwhere the full length of the envelope 3 of the lamp assembly I iswrapped into the semi-circular peripheral groove in said form I2, atwhich time opposite ends of said envelope 3 are located relatively neareach other as indicated in Fig. 2. Further rotative movement of thecarriage I13 is terminated by the interruption of the circuit to motor224 and the butting of said floating carriage I13 against the stopcollars 245 on the upper portions of the columns I14. At the above limitof motion the circuit to the motor 224 is broken by operation of theswitch 2 I3 as the hump on the edge of the cam 2I3 then passes frombelow the roller on the actuating arm thereof. It is also preferred thata brake, such as shown in combination with the apparatus in the Greineret al. application hereinbefore referred to, or other means he providedto assist in preventing further movement of the form I2 once it hastaken its upper limit of motion.

Just prior to the time the upward motion is completed, the continuousrotation of the auxiliary shaft I53 rotates the cam 246 so that theswitch 241 is actuated, thereby effecting the opening of the Jaws 243243of the support means I3 (Figs. 2 and 5) and the introduction of a gas atpressure into the lamp assembly I. The switch 241 is connected to oneside of the supply line I43 of electrical current through wires I33 andI41 and in actuating completes the connection through wires 250 and 25Ito the solenoid 252 located on the platform 231 above the jaws 243 and243 and to the solenoid 253 of the valve 254 controlling the source (notshown) of gas. The energization of the solenoid 252,

- which is permanently connected through wires 255 and I42 to theopposite side of the line. causes the armature and plate 250 attachedthereto to move downward and forces said plate 253 against the rollers251 on the upper ends of the jaws 243 and 249 with sufllcient strengthto separate said Jaws 243 and 243 against the resistance provided by thecontraction force of the spring 253 extending between said ends. Thejaws 243 and 243 pivot about the pin 253 extending from the end of thefixed arm 230. which is attached to the side flange of the bracket 33 ofthe exhaust port 5, and are held at a position directly over the centerof the form I2 where they are in the best position to engage and supportthe lamp assembly I after it is completely shaped. The operation of thejaws 243 and 243 at this time is for the purpose of separating them sothat both the form I2 and the lamp assembly I pass between the nibsthereof without being disturbed. The energization of the solenoid 253,on the other hand, which is permanently connected to one side of theline through wires I, 203 and I40, opens the valve 254 so that th gassupplied thereto is conducted through pipin (not shown) to a passagecorresponding to passage 54 (Fig. 2) in the lower half 55 of the rotaryvalve 52 and thence through the exhaust port 5 to the lamp assembly I.The function of the gas. which is preferably nitrogen or another inertgas at a pressure of 3 to 6 inches of mercury, is

to expand and round out the envelope is at the lamp assembly I to thegeneral curvature of the groove of the form It and eliminate the dattening, waves, and any other irregularity that develops in the envelope9 while it is being wrapped about said form it, The introduction of thegas in the lamp assembly i and the contact of said assembly I with theform It; increase the rapidity with which said assembly i, which is nowseparated from the heater I1, cools and completes the series ofoperations required to reshape said lamp assembly Ii.

No operation occurs in the moment after the rolling of the lamp assemblyI! is complete, as the directly succeeding interval is used to allowstill further cooling of said assembly II. The length of the coolingperiod is normally in the order of a few seconds during which the lampassembly I cools to a condition where every portion is solid andundistortable and is not as readily chilled injuriously by contact withother apparatus. Termination of the cooling interval occurs when thejaws 248 and 249 of the support means I9 close on the lamp assembly Iand is directly followed by the separation of the halves I12 and I12 ofthe form I2 so that said lamp assembly I is freed of all apparatuslocated permanently at work station 9. The first of these operations,the closing movement of the jaws 249 and 249 of holder I9, is broughtabout by rotation of cam 246 to a position where the roller on theactuating arm of the switch 241 passes from the hump thereon so thatsaid switch 941 is opened and the circuit to the solenoid 252 retainingsaid Jaws 248 and 249 in an open position is broken and said laws 249and 249 are free to close. Access to the lamp assembly I is given by aradially extending notch 264 (Fig. 1) in the rim of each half I12 andI12 of the form I2 which permits the nibs of said jaws 249 and 249 toengage the sides and pass beneath said lamp assembly I. Since it is alsovery desirable that any chilling of the lamp assembly I be avoided, thenibs of the jaws 249 and 249 are covered with asbestor stockings and arepreheated, the latter being effected while said jaws 249 and 249 .arelocated at station 9, by an electrlc heater 265'. Means (not shown)extending over the oven II hold the electric heater 265', which is of aconventional design having a coiled resistance wire within channels in arefractory disc, at a position just below the course of travel of thejaws 249 and 249, at which position the heater 265' is free to heat byradiation and convection the nibs of said Jaws 249 and 249 during theirperiod of dwell at station 9. The breaking of the electrical circuitcontrolled by switch 241 and actuating the jaws 249 and 249 alsoactuates the solenoid 259 and valve 254 and thereby breaks theconnection conducting the gas at pressure to the lamp assembly I.

The immediately succeeding operation of separating the halves I12 andI12 of the form I2 is also under the control of the rotation of theauxiliary drive shaft I56 and is brought about by the operation of thesolenoid 264 (Figs. 5 and 6), which is located on the platform 231, withthe completion of a circuit thereto through the switch 265. At thepresent moment a, hump on the edge of the cam 266 is carried intoengagement with the roller on the actuating arm of the switch 265 andthe consequent.closing of said switch 265 completes a circuit from thewires I66 and I41, leading to one side of the supply ataatm line I09 ofelectric current to the wire 991! leading to the solenoid 999. Theeflect of the operation of the solenoid 966 is to force the armature itsagainst the cupped end 999' of the lever 269 which is then locateddirectly below so as to cause the lever I911 of the operating apparatusfor the form It to be turned counter-clockwise about the support pin I99and separate the halves I19 and I12 of said form It. The lever 269pivots on the far end (Fig. 5) of the pin 216 extending through arearward depending portion of the floating carriage I119 and has alongitudinal slot accommodating the pin ill in the rearward extendingarm of the lever I91. The separation of the halves I12 and I19 of theform I2 is brought about very rapidly by the motion imparted to theslide I99 by the lever I91 and transferred to said halves ill and I12through links I99, lit and levers I96, I06 respectively. At the limit ofthis movement, the slide I99 has been moved to such an extent that anenlargement in the slot therein accommodating the fixed pin I9I iscarried to a position below the head of said pin I91 and the apparatusis locked in position by a longitudinal displacement of the pin' I9Iunder the constant influence of the spring I92 carrying the head of saidpin I9I into said enlargement. Heretofore the head of the pin I9I hasslid along the flat top surface of the slide I99 and has not interferedwith-the motion of the slide I99 although under the constant downwardbiasing efiect of the expansion force of the spring I92 which bearsagainst the bottom of the ways for said slide I89 and the fixed collarI93 on a lower portion of the pin I9I.

The succeeding operation of the apparatus further prepares the apparatuspermanently located at station 9 for the index of the lamp assembly Itherefrom by retracting the halves I12 and I12 of the form I2 from thecourse of movement thereof. This retraction is caused by a correspondingmovement of the support carriage I10 for the entire assembly of bendingapparatus at this station and is effected by the required rotation ofthe electric motor I69 engaging through gear I15 the rack I16 on theside of said carriage I10 and controlled by a circuit including theswitch 265. Because of the slightly slower response of the motor I69 andassociated means, the carriage I10 does not retract until the halves I12and I12 of the form I2, which are also under the control of the circuitmade by the switch 265, have started to separate and therefore does notcause interference between the form I2 and the lamp assembly I. Thecircuit made to the 1 motor I69 at this time includes the wires 214 and261, the switch 265 and the wires I66 and I41 and is interrupted whenthe form I2 and the carriage I10 are fully retracted by the passage ofthe hump on the edge of the cam 266 from below the roller on theactuating lever of said switch 265. In the retraction of the carriageI10, the apparatus also effects the corresponding retraction of theheater I1 mounted thereon by first carrying the roller I9I on theactuating lever I92 therefor away from the fixed stop (not shown) sothat said heater I1 swings out from behind the lamp assembly I and thenwithdraws in the direction of movement of the carriage I10. Also underthe control of the circuit completed by the switch 265 is the retractionmovement of the oven I I located at station 9, which movement similarlyseparates the lamp assembly I from the apparatus permanently located atsaid station so 23 that said lamp assembly I can be indexed withoutinterference therefrom. The circuit In the present instance is throughwire 215 and wire 251 .and makes a particular connection to the electricmotor I39, which causes it to turn in a direction retracting the oven II.

During the succeeding period of operation in which the lamp assembly Iis indexed from station 9 by motion of the head 2 and the turret I, theform I2 and the associated apparatus are moved to a position to startthe succeeding cycle of operation by being lowered. This loweringmovement of the form I2 is produced in a man ner corresponding to theprevious upward motion thereof by motion of the floating carriage I'llunder the influence of the operation of the motor 224. At this time anelectric circuit to the motor 224 is made through wire 215. switch 211and wires I45, I41 by the actuation of said switch 211 which is underthe control effected by the cam 215 on the auxiliary drive shaft I55.The motor 224 is caused to turn in a direction which moves thesupporting chains 233 and 292' and the floating carriage I13 down on thecolumns I14. At the limit of motion the floating carriage I19 againrests on the stop collars 221 on the columns I14 and is no longer underthe influence of the rotation of the motor 224 as the circuit thereto isbroken by the properly timed operation of the switch 211 by the furtherrotation of the cam 219.

As hereinbefore described, all but the initial operations taking placeat station 9 are in a fixed sequence having a definite durationdetermined by the shape of the various cams on the auxiliary cam shaftI55 and are not dependent on the rotation of the main drive shaft 18which is responsible for the control of most of the remaining operationsof the apparatus. The rotation of the electric motor I55 and therotation of the auxiliary cam shaft I55 has continued uninterruptedlyafter they were initially placed in operation and has controlled theduration as well as the initiation of all operations of the sequence sothat it has not been necessary for the main drive shaft I8 to continuein operation. In order to realize the advantages of this non-operativeperiod of the drive shaft I an interruption in the rotation thereof isbrought about by breaking the circuit to the driving motor 24. Thisoperation occurs very shortly after the auxiliary cam shaft I58initially starts to rotate, as then an extended hump on the edge of thecam 255 thereon passes below the roller of the actuating arm of theswitch 28I. The electric motor 84 is connected by wire 282 to the switch22I. which is in turn connected through wires I55 and I4! to one side ofthe line I42 and becomes inoperative when the switch 28I takes an openposition. The motor 84 is also connected permanently to the oppositeside of the supply line I43 by the wires 253 and I40. The completion ofthe group of functions controlled by the auxiliary cam shaft I55 makesit again necessary that the main drive shaft 18 take over the operationof the apparatus, a function which is brought about by the passage ofthe hump on the edge of cam 259 from below the roller of the actuatingarm of the switch 25I so that said switch 28I again takes a normallyclosed position and so that the circuit to the motor 84 is againcomplete. The auxiliary cam shaft I 55 does not relinquish control ofthe apparatus to the main drive shaft 75, however, and continues torotate until said shaft I4 causes the control pin I4 to rise in thesucceeding cycle away from the roller on the actuating arm I58 of theswitch I54. These operations break the circuit to the driving motor I55of the auxiliary cam shaft I55 and allow it to remain idle during theinterval the lamp assembly I is heated by the oven I5.

The recurrence of rotative motion in the main drive shaft 19 turns theindexing cam 55 so that it advances the spider 92 and thereby indexesthe turret 3 and the head 2 followed in this description, to stationIII. The operations of the apparatus occurring while the now circularlyshaped lamp assembly I is at station III are just those of allowing saidlamp assembly I to cool and, at the same time, to be drawn on byexhausting means connected to the head 2 through the rotary valve 52.The rotation of the movable section 5I of the rotary valve 52 occurringwith the index advances the passage 52 therein connected to the head 2into alignment with a passage (not shown) corresponding to passage 54 inthe stationary section of said valve 52, which passage is permanentlyconnected to the exhausting means. The exhausting operation continuesfor the entire period of dwell of the head 2 and the lamp assembly I atthe station II, during which time the fo lowing head 2 and the lampassembly I carried thereby pass through the reshaping operations justdescribed at station 9.

The succeeding index of the head 2 advances it and the circular lampassembly I to station II where a second exhaust connection made throughthe rotary valve lamp assembly I in the manner occurring at station I0.Also made effective during the latter index is a stationary commutatorring 22 (Figs. 1 and 9) which is located below the turret 2 in aposition to be wiped by the bare ends of the insulated leading-in wires20 and 2I extending from opposite ends of the lamp assembly I. Theoperator, when initially inserting the lamp assembly I into the head 2at station I or 2, bends the pairs of leading-in wires 20 and 2I to aposition which causes them to take the position shown so that they passinto the lower and upper channels 295 and 295, respectively, in thecommutator ring 22 during the index. Each leading-in wire 29 or 2I ofthe pair thereof at the opposite ends of the lamp assembly I lies at aposition spaced from the adjacent leading-in wire 25 or 2| and, whenstation II is reached by the head 2, rests against one of the severalseparate metal sections 251 and 288 of the commutator ring 22 which arespaced from other similarly conductive sections thereof by portions ofthe insulating main body of said ring 22. At station II suitableelectrical connections are made to the metal sections 25'! and 289 ofthe commutator ring 22 to cause electrical currents to pass betweenrespective leadingin wires 20, 20 or 2|, 2| at each end of the lampassembly I so as to effect the heating and the consequent activation ofthe cathodes of the electrode assemblies 9 within the lamp assembly I ina manner well known in discharge lamp manufacture.

Succeeding operations in the cycle effected by the apparatus occurduring the indexing motion of the head 2 from station II to station I2and are carried on without interruption in the indexing motion. Almostimmediately in the above index the head 2 effects the discharge of ameasured amount of mercury from the dispenser 23 mounted thereon bycarrying the ends of the resilient brushes 289 and 285' of saiddispenser 52 is allowed to draw on said 22 against the stationarycontacts 290 and 29I as indicated in Fig. 2. The dispenser 23corresponds to that disclosed in detail in United States Patent2,313,657-Marshaus, dated March 9, 1943, and is actuated by theapplication of electrical energy to the solenoid 292 surrounding theupper portion thereof through the momentary connections made between thecontacts 299 and 29I which are permanently connected to a source ofcurrent (not shown) and the brushes 299 and 289' which are connected tothe solenoid 292. The contacts 299 and 29I are in the form of metalbolts extending through a block 293 of insulation material which ismounted on supporting means (not shown) extending over the turret 3 andare wiped by the offset ends of the brushes 289 and 289', which aresimilarly mounted on the L-shaped bracket 294 of insulating materialcarried by the upper removable housing 295 of the dispenser 23. Thecurrent passing through the solenoid 292 causes the magnetic fluxgenerated thereby to permeate the upper housing 295 and raise the metalpiston 295 so that the plunger 291 connected thereto is correspondinglyraised and the mercury dosage contained within the aperture 292 islifted from the mercury pool and trapped behind the float 299. At thelimit of the movement of the plunger 291, the aperture 298 is also abovethe upperend of the sleeve 300 and is at a position where the mercurydosage falls from the aperture 298 and is carried by gravity downwardthrough the discharge passage 3M of the dispenser 23 and into theadjoining exhaust passage of the head 2. The almost immediate movementof the brushes 289 and 289' from engagement with the contacts 299 and29I in the continuing index movement breaks the electrical connection tothe solenoid 292 and allows the piston 295 and the plunger 291 to againdrop down to the position shown where the mercury in the dispenser 23flows into and fills the aperture 298.

The second operation occurring during the index of the head 2 to stationI2 is initiated midway in the index when the passage 53 in the uppermovable portion SI of the rotary valve 52, which passage 53 is connectedto the head 2, is aligned with another passage (not shown) correspondingto the passage 54 in the stationary portion 55 of the rotary valve 52and connected to a source of ionizable flushing gas, in the presentinstance, argon. The gas discharged by the passage in the stationaryportion 55 of the rotary valve 52 is at a pressure which causes adesired amount of said gas to be admitted into the lamp assembly Iduring the brief period said passage is in communication with thepassage 53 and assists in sweeping any portion of the mercury dosagewhich may have lodged in some portion of the exhaust passage in the head2 or exhaust tube 2 down into the envelope 8 of the lamp assembly I.

When station I2 is reached by the head 2, the lamp assembly i is againdrawn on by an exhaust source connected thereto through the rotary valve52 and the cathodes of the electrode assemblies 9 thereof are againheated by current conducted thereto through the commutator ring 22. Themanner of making the electrical connections to the electrode assembliescorresponds to that occurring at station I I and shown in Fig. 9 whereseparate metal sections in the commutator ring 22 are engaged by theleading-in wires 20 and H of the lamp assembly I. However, theelectrical connections are such at this station that a voltagedifierence between the cathodes at oppooperator observes all lampassemblies I taking station I3 and is givennotice of a defective lampassembly I, and in certain instances the improper operation of theapparatus, if said lamp assembly I is not operating thereat.

The succeeding indexing movement of the head 2 carries the lamp assemblyI to station It which is beyond the extent of the commutator ring 22 andinterrupts the electrical treatment of the lamp assembly. The exhaustionof the lamp assembly I, on the other hand, is not interrupted at stationI4 as another exhaust connection through the rotary valve 52 is made tothe head 2 while it is located at this station.

At station I5, the next station taken in the course of movement of thehead 2, the lamp assembly I is connected through the rotary valve 52 toa source (not shown) causing its exhaustion, and thereafter causing itto be filled with an ionizable gas. The source is controlledautomatically in the usual manner by time-initiated valving means andconnects the lamp assembly I to a supply of argon in the presentinstance, which gas is at a pressure resulting in a known filling ofsaid gas passing into said lamp assembly I.

Station I5 is the last station taken by the head 2 in its course aroundthe apparatus which forms the cycle of operation thereof. At thisstation the lamp assembly I is sealed either manually or by mechanicalmeans fusing and tipping of! the exhaust tube 4 within the open end ofcap 6 of said lamp assembly I and is removed from the apparatus afterthe support means I8 and the holder I are opened. No connection is madethrough the exhaust passage of the head 2 at this station as the passage53 in the rotary valve 52 connected thereto is located over a solidportion of the stationary portion 55 thereof at such times. The head 2is also prepared for another cycle of operation by the removal of theremaining portion of the exhaust tube 4 which falls therefrom after thearm 35 i turned to release the gripping action of the rubber washer 38of the exhaust port 5.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. The method of manufacturing tubular discharge lamps of curvilinearconfiguration in a sequence of operations which comprises heating a lampassembly to drive out the contamination therein and to render itworkable, immediately thereafter bending said lamp assembly to thedesired configuration, exhausting the lamp assembly before appreciablecooling occurs therein, immediately thereafter introducing an ionizablegas into the lamp assembly, and then permanently sealing the lampassembly to complete the manufacture.

2. The method of manufacturing tubular discharge lamps of curvilinearconfiguration in a sequence of operations which comprises heating thelamp assembly to drive out the contamination therein and to render itworkable, successively during the heating operation exhausting thecontaminated atmosphere from the interior of the lamp assembly and thenfilling said inmamas 27 'terior with an inert gas, immediately after theheating operation bending the lamp assembly to the desiredconfiguration, exhausting the lamp assembly before appreciable vcoolingoccurs therein, immediately thereafter introducing an ionizable gas intothe lamp assembly, and then permanently sealing the lamp assembly tocomplete the manufacture.

3. The method of manufacturing tubular discharge lamps of curvilinearconfiguration in a sequence of operations which comprises heating thelamp assembly to drive out the contamination therein and to render itworkable, successively during the heating operation exhausting thecontaminated atmosphere from the interior of the lamp assembly and thenfilling said in-- terior with an inert gas, immediately after theheating operation bending the lamp assembly to the desiredconfiguration, introducing additional inert gas at pressure into thelamp assembly during the bending thereof to assist in preserving theoriginal cross section of said lamp assembly, exhausting the lampassembly before appreciable cooling occurs therein, immediatelythereafter introducing an ionizable gas into the lamp assembly, and thenpermanently sealing the lamp assembly to complete the manufacture.

4. The method of manufacturing tubular discharge lamps of curvilinearconfiguration in a sequence of operations which comprises subjecting thelamp assembly to progressively greater temperatures to heat said lampassembly at a high speed without lnJurious shock and thereby drive outthe contamination therein and render said lamp assembly workable,immediately thereafter bending said lamp assembly to the desiredconfiguration, exhausting the lamp assembly before appreciable coolingoccurs therein, immediately thereafter introducing an ionizable gas intothe lamp assembly, and then permanently sealing the lamp assembly tocomplete the manufacture.

5. In combination, a carrier having mounted thereon a plurality of headseach adapted to hold an article, means including drive means to trol theperiod of dwell of each headfat the station occupied by said one workmeans.

7. In combination, a carrier having mounted thereon a plurality of headseach adapted to hold an article, a main drive shaft, means to rotatesaid main drive shaft continuously, indexing means driven from saiddrive shaft to periodically index said carrier and carry said heads to aplurality of work stations. work mechanisms at a plurality of saidstations for performing work on said article, an auxiliary drive shaftassociated with one of said work mechanisms which has a variable periodof operation, means to rotate said auxiliary drive shaft, and meansassociated with "said one work mechanism for concurrently renpletion ofthe operation of said one work mechanism whereby to independentlycontrol the period of dwell of each head at the station occupied by saidone work mechanism.

8. In combination, a carrier having mounted thereon a plurality of headseach adapted to hold a tubular vitreous article, means to periodicallyindex said carrier to carry saidheads to a plurality of work stations,work mechanisms at a plurality of said stations for performing work'onsaid article, one of said work mechanisms including means for heatingand elongating said article and means for bending said article toarcuate shape, means associated with said one work mechanism forrendering the indexing means inoperative and for subsequentlyreinitiating operation of said indexing means whereby toindepenperiodically index said carrier to carry said heads I to aplurality of work stations, work means at a plurality of said stationsfor performing work on said article, one of said work means having avariable period of operation and having associated therewith means torender the drive means for the indexing means inoperative during theperiod of operation of said one work means and means to subsequentlyreinitiate operation of said indexing means upon completion of theoperation of said one work means whereby to independently control theperiod of dwell of each head at the station occupied by said one workmeans.

6. In combination, a carrier having mounted thereon a plurality of headseach adapted to hold an article, means including drive means toperiodically index said carrier to carry said heads to a plurality ofwork stations, work means at a plurality of said stations for performingwork on said article, one of said work means-having a variable period ofoperation and having associated therewith means controlled by acondition of said article to render the drive means for the indexingmeans inoperative during the period of operation of said one work meansand means to subsequently reinitiate operation of said indexing meansupon completion of the operation of said one work means whereby toindependently condently control the period of dwell of each head at thestation occupied by said one work mechanism, and control means actuatedby said article upon elongation thereof during heating at thelast-mentioned station and including means for initiating operation ofthe last-mentioned means.

9. Apparatus of the class described comprising a head having means forsupporting a tubular lamp assembly and having an exhaust port for makinga gas-tight connection thereto, movable carrier means for supporting andadvancing said head along a path of movement, means located along thepath of movement of the head for heating the lamp assembly to drivecontamination therefrom and to render it workable, means also locatedalong said path of movement for bending the heated lamp assembly to adesired configuration, means connected to the head along a succeedingportion of th path of movement for exhausting the lamp assembly throughsaid exhaust port and then introducing therein an ionizable gas, andmeans operating the several aforesaid means in proper synchronism.

10. Apparatus of the class described comprising a head having means forsupporting a tubular lamp assembly and having an exhaust port for makinga gas-tight connection thereto, movable carrier means for supporting andadvancing said head along a path of movement, separate heating meanslocated along the path of movement and developing successively highertemperatures for heating the lamp assembly advanced by the head at highspeed without injurious shock to drive contamination therefrom and torender the lamp assembly workable, means also located along said pathadjacent the highest temperature portion of the heating means forbending the lamp assembly to a desired configuration, means connected tothe head along a succeeding portion of the path of movement assemblythrough said'exhaust port and then introducing therein an ionizable gas,and means operating the several aforesaid means in proper synchronism.

11. Apparatus of th class described comprising a head having means forsupporting a tubular lamp assembly and having an exhaust, port formaking a gas-tight connection thereto, movable carrier means forsupporting and advancing said head along a path of movement, meansextending along the path of movement of the head for heating the lampassembly to drive contamination therefrom, a movable oven, meansmounting said oven to advance it to and from operative relation to thehead at a directly succeeding portion of the path of movement to heatthe lamp assembly retained thereby to a workable condition, meanslocated adjacent the oven along the path of movement of the head forbending the lamp assembly to a desired configuration, means connected tothe head along a. succeeding portion of the path of movement forexhausting the lamp assembly through said exhaust port and introducingtherein an ionizable gas, and means operating the several aforesaidmeans in proper synchronism.

12. Apparatus of the class described comprising a head having means forsupporting a tubular lamp assembly and having an exhaust port for makinga gas-tight connection thereto, movable carrier means for supporting andadvancing said head along a path of movement, means located along thepath of movement of the head for heating the lamp assembly to drivecontamination therefrom and to render it workable, means also locatedalong said path of movement for bending the heated lamp assembly to adesired configuration, plural means adapted to be connected to theexhaust port of the head upon movement thereof for exhausting theatmosphere from and introducing an inert gas into the lamp assemblydur-' ing the heating thereof, for increasing the pressure of the inertgas in the lamp assembly during the bending thereof to assist inpreserving the original cross section thereof, and for thereafterexhausting the lamp assembly and then introducing therein an ionizablegas, and means, op-' erating the several aforesaid means in propersynchronism.

13. Apparatus of the class described comprising a head having means forsupporting a tubular lamp assembly by one end thereof and having anexhaust port for making a gas-tight connection thereto, movable carriermeans for supporting and advancing said head along a path of movement,means located along the path of movement of the head for heating thelamp assembly to drive contamination therefrom and to render itworkable, means also located along said path of movement for bending theheated lamp assembly to a desired configuration, gripper means mountedon the head, means for actuating said gripper means to engage andsupport the lamp assembly at a point remote from the said one endthereof after it has been bent, means connected to the head along asucceeding portion of the path of movement for exhausting the lampassembly through said exhaust port and then introducing therein anionizable gas, and means operating the several aforesaid means in propersynchronism.

14. Apparatus of the class described comprising a head having means forsupporting a tubular for exhausting the "lamp lamp assembly throughengagement with one end thereof, said head also having an exhaust portfor making a gas-tight connection to said end of the lamp assembly andhaving auxiliary support means at a fixed position for engaging anintermediate portion of the lamp assembly in its final bent shape,movable carrier means for supporting and advancing the head along a pathof movement, means located along the path of movement of the head forheating the lamp assembly to drive contamination therefrom and render itworkable, means also located along said path of movement for bending theheated lamp assembly to a desired configuration and into position to beengaged by the said auxiliary support means of the head, means connectedto the head along a succeeding portion of the path of movement forexhausting the lamp assembly through said exhaust port and thenintroducing therein an ionizable gas, and means operating the severalaforesaid means in proper synchronism.

15. Apparatus of the class described comprising a head having means forsuspending a tubular lamp assembly in a vertical position throughengagement with one end thereof, said head also having an exhaust portfor making a gas-tight connection to said end of the lamp assembly,movable carrier means for supporting and advancing the head along a pathof movement, means located along the path of movement of the head forheating the lamp assembly to drive contamination therefrom and render itworkable, means also located along said path of movement for bending thelamp assembly to a desired configuration, operating means connected tothe bending means and including control means located below the head ina position to engage the lower end of the lamp assembly for oper-' atingthe said bending means when said lamp assembly becomes suitably workableand elongates, means connected to the head along a succeeding portion ofthe path of movement of the head for exhausting the lamp assemblythrough said exhaust port and then introducing therein an ionizable gas,and means operating the several aforesaid means in proper synchronism.

16. Apparatus of the class described comprising a head having means forsuspending a tubular lamp assembly in a vertical position throughengagement with one end thereof, said head also having an exhaust portfor making a gas-tight connection to said end of the lamp assembly,movable carrier means for supporting and advancing the head along a pathof movement, means located along the path of movement of the head forheating the lamp assembly to drive contamination therefrom and render itworkable, means also located along said path of movement for bending thelamp assembly to a desired configuration, vertically movablecounterbalanced control means located below the head in a position toengage the lower end of the lamp assembly when said head is in operativerelation to said heating means, means engaging the said control meansand controlled by the vertical position thereof for operating thebending means when the lamp assembly is heated to workability and byelongating lowers said control means, means connected to'the head alonga succeeding portion of the path of movement of the head for exhaustingthe lamp assembly through said exhaust port and then introducing thereinan ionizable gas, and means operating the several aforesaid means inproper synchronism.

9,494,988 31 17. Apparatus of the class described comprising said lampassembly becomes suitably workable a head having means for suspending atubular and elongates. lamp assembly in a vertical position through en-20. Apparatus of the class described comprisgagement with one endthereof, said head also ing a head having means for supporting atubuhaving an exhaust port for making a gas-tight r lamp assembly andhaving an exhaust port I connection to said end of the lamp assembly,movm king a gas-tight connection thereto, a able carrier means forsupporting and advancing movable carrier f upp t nd indexing a d t headalong a path of movement, means head successively to a plurality of workstations cated along the path of movement of the head along a pa h ofmovement. means located at o for heating the lamp assembly to drivecontami- 10 of said work Sta-tions for heating the p nation therefromand render it workable, means sembly to drive contamination therefromand also located along said path f movement f to render it workable,means connected to the bending the lamp assembly to a desiredconfiguexhaust port of the head i actuated by the ration, means forrelocating the lower end of an indexing motion of the Carmel: causingimproperly aligned lamp assembly, operating Ila-sting and gas-mungoPel'atlons to be applied means connectedto the bending means and inthelamp assembly vanously in index of eluding control means located belowthe head in the head' indexing means for advancmg the a position toengage the lower end of the lamp ner to position the head and lampassembly at assembly for operating the bending means when the stationsand thereby t the heating said lamp assembly becomes suitably workableexhaus mg and gas mung of Sam lamp assemblyand elongates, meansconnected to the head along a succeeding portion of the path of movement5 embly to a desired configuration, means conof the head for exhaustingthe lamp assembly nected to the indexing means for interrupting throughsaid exhaust port and then introducing th e operation thereof andinitiating the sequence therein an ionizable gas, and means operatingthe of operations of the bending means at definitely several aforesaidmeans in proper synchronism. timed intervals and then restoring theoperative 18. Apparatus of the class described comprising condition ofthe indexing means. a head having means suspending a tubular 21.Apparatus of the class described comprislamp assembly in a verticalposition through enm a head having means for supporting a. tubu-"gagement with one end thereof, said head also lar lamp assembly andhaving an exhaust port having an exhaust port for making a gas-tight formaking .13 1 connection t t a connection o aid n f the l m assembly.movable carrier for supporting and indexing said movable carri r m ns fpporting and adhead successively to a plurality of work stations van nthe ad al g a pa f m v m n along a path of movement, means located atmeans located along the path of movement of the one of said workstations for heating the lamp head for heating the lamp assemblyadvanced assembly to drive contamination therefrom, thereby to drivecontamination therefrom and means connected to the exhaust port of thehead render it workable, means also located along said and actuated bythe indexing motion of the carpath of movement for bending the lampassembly rier for causing exhausting and g -filli pto a desiredconfiguration, operating means conerations to be applied to the lampassembly nected to the bending means and including conously in the indexof the head. means at the trol means located below the head in aposition work station i y succeeding h occupied to engage the lower endof the lamp assembly for by the first'mentmned heating means foroperating the bending means when said lamp asmg w lamp assembly to asembly becomes Suitably workable and elongates. indexing means foradvancing the carrier to posi- 19. Apparatus 01' the class describedcompristhe head and lamp assembly at t work ing a head having means forsuspending a tubui s? the fi' i gi and lar lamp assembly in a verticalposition through g 0 amp assem en ng .means engagement with one endthereof, said head also mated with the last'mentioned heaimg meanshaving an exhaust port for making a gas tight for performing a sequenceof operations to reconnection to said end of the lamp assembly, ape thelamp assembly to a desired configura" movable carrier means forsupporting and adoperating means connected to the last-men vancing thehead along a path of movement, heating means and the bending means meanslocated along the path of movement of 3 gg zfii gg g zgg g g y f thehead for heating the lamp assembly to drive thergwiih to a workgble te yt t on contamination therefrom and render it workable, th f l-lre or nmeans also located along said path of movement mp mg 8 opera Ion o endexmg and heat ing means and initiating the sequence of operaforbending the lamp assembly to a 0 tions of the bending means atdefinitely timed figuration comprising mwable form havmg a intervals andthen restoring the operative congrooved periphery for receiving the lampassemdmon of the indexing me ans. bly, means mounted at the periphery ofsaid 22 A aratus h form for gripping the free end of said lamp asing A gg z g g gzf. gsgg gsg g zfigg:

sembly, and operating means for moving and rohr lamp assembly and havingan exhaust port for making a gas-tight connection thereto, movassemblyto roll said lamp assembly into the said head successively to aplurality of work staperipheral gmme thereof and then to separate tionsalong a path of movement, means located from said reshaped lamp assemblyand etum t0 0 at said work stations for performing lamp-makits formerposition, and control means operatively mg operations on the lampassemb] in: the actuation of said operating means when 7 of the head andactuated by the indexing mo-

